Title:

Hovercraft Project

Problem Scenario:

Broad Question:

How well does a hovercraft work on different surfaces?

Specific Question:

Will the hovercraft hover better on dirt, carpet, or smooth surface?

Hypothesis:

It will hover higher on carpet than the other surfaces.

Results:

The hovercraft hovers higher over carpet then dirt and the smooth surface.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:Type of surface.

Dependent Variable:Height of hover. Force of the push.

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General Plan:

I am testing to see how well a hovercraft will hover over different surfaces.
(Dirt, and carpet.)

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
Foam	1	Store	$3.00
Duct Tape	1	Store	$2.89
Plastic wrap	1	Store	$4.69
Computer Fan	1	old used computer	$0.00

Detailed Procedure:

Step 1. Get materials.
Step 2. Cut slot in cardboard box.
Step 3. Attach pencil to top of hovercraft.
Step 4. Place ruler next to hovercraft/in front of cardboard box.

Diagram

Photo List

Time Line

procedure,timeline,photo list complete 2/1
begin experiment 2/4
experiment done 3/1
analysis 3/7
discussion/background 3/15
wiki complete 3/15
posters complete 3/22
kennett science fair 3/29

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Data Table

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Data Analysis

All Raw Data

trial	dirt	carpet	smooth surface
1	0.4	0.6	0.4
2	0.4	0.5	0.5
3	0.4	0.5	0.4

Graphs

Results

Overall the hovercraft hovered higher over carpet than the other surfaces (dirt, smooth surface). As the hovercraft was hovering over the dirt, the dirt went all over the place. When i put it on carpet, the carpet stayed still and worked just fine. When it was on the smooth surface, it worked just as fine as on carpet. It did hover faster and smoother on the smooth surface than dirt and carpet. When i tested it on carpet, it did not really move around very well, same with the dirt.

Conclusion

My hypothesis was that the hovercraft was going to hover higher on carpet than all the other surfaces. I accept my hypothesis. The average for carpet was bigger than dirt and the smooth surface.

Discussion

There however was not any patterns or trends in the data. My experiment turned out fine and did not contain any mistakes or errors. Yes i was able to answer them correctly.

Benefit to Community and/or Science